I like Noah's idea of keeping a list of music to work on. Right now, these are the ones I'm thinking about:

1. Billy Joel, "She's Got a Way." That one should work just fine, I think.

2. Edvard Grieg, "In the Hall of the Mountain King." This doesn't fit on a single MO, but I think I can work out a two part version, with split-screen video, that would work. This will be a big project.

3. Miles Davis, "All Blues." A jazz standard. I don't know if I'm up to it, but I want to try.

4. Acker Bilk, "Stranger on the Shore." Another standard, it won't fit on MO but maybe I'll play it on sax, until the ProRange comes out. It's been around since 1960 so it'll keep.

I agree with the idea of keeping a list. My list is gowing steadily but so far my fingers have not been able to keep up. Too many 12 hour days playing with communications equipment while away from home.

My friends think the rats are going to follow me around when I start practicing. Maybe that is a good thing......

I am amazed at how multi-talented you are (I have enjoyed your recent sax and recorder videos) and the wide variety of music you play, not to mention your ability to improvise. I'm looking forward to hearing your checklist of songs, and Noah's, too.

Thanks for the kind words. To me, there's not much "multi" here, since the fingerings are so similar. The sax has a whole other dimension, in terms of breath and tone control. I'm happy to be playing it again, and I can thank MO for helping me to find my way back to it. My improvising is nowhere near where I'd like it to be, but I'm inching forward. Improvisation on the MO is very interesting, given its range. I can't just run scales way up for effect, so I have to think more about tight harmonies, intervals, and rhythms, and I actually think that discipline is helping me grow as a musician.

My improvising is nowhere near where I'd like it to be, but I'm inching forward. Improvisation on the MO is very interesting, given its range. I can't just run scales way up for effect, so I have to think more about tight harmonies, intervals, and rhythms, and I actually think that discipline is helping me grow as a musician.

Ubizmo

That is a really interesting observation about how playing Mountain Ocarinas is affecting your improvisation style and musical development -- another plug for this special instrument by an accomplished musician!

The Billy Joel piece was beautiful and soulful, and the high notes at the end of the piece were very nicely done. Your videos keep getting better and better -- what a long way you've traveled from the "automobile studio" days, not too long ago!

Ah, the Car Studio... Well, you have to start somewhere. I'm glad you liked the Billy Joel one, although the backing track wasn't the best, and was hard to play to. Of the ones I've done in the last month or so, the one I personally like is "Moondance." It comes closest to real jazz, and even though the improvisation is pretty thin, it "sits" right in the music.

Something I've learned is to just let the recording gear roll and play until I get a decent take. Then, when I have a decent one, I do one or two more. When I do that, the pressure to get a decent one is off, and I generally get a better one. Previously, as soon as I got a decent one I'd stop. But now I keep going, knowing that even if I don't get a better one, I already have a presentable one ready to go.

And the other thing is...I just spend more time listening to jazz and blues, and listening to the way the riffs go. Really listening, not just enjoying. I have several Pandora channels with different jazz styles on them, and I listen every night before I go to sleep. This little instrument has really led me back into music in a way that I haven't been in a long long time. I like it.

Another one off the check list: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ-7vfa5sQM --a non-ocarina video this time, by necessity. This tune needs to go up to G at least, and that's without anything fancy schmancy. This backing track has a pretty lame "string" solo in the middle, not to mention a weird pause at the end. But do I let that stop me? Mais non!

But when the ProRange comes out I'll want to re-do "Stranger on the Shore," since it's that tune's destiny to be played on every instrument.

And I've added:

4: "I put a spell on you," which is next. Someone on Youtube PMed me and offered to enhance any midi files I might want to use. So I sent him the midi for "I put a spell on you" (the Creedence arrangement) and got it back last night. It wasn't too good to start with, because of the usual cheesy midi sounds, but now it sounds terrific. So I want to practice this one a little more than usual to do justice to the enhanced backing track.

Another one off the check list: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwepSxjIVhM. I'm happy with this one, because I finally manage to cross the line from "jazzy" to "jazz" here--at least by my own standard of these things. I did about 7 takes, and kept getting too wired and trying to play too many notes. Then I finally took a deep breath and slowed everything down and I thought it came out a lot better. This is one that I can actually listen to.

Something I've learned is to just let the recording gear roll and play until I get a decent take. Then, when I have a decent one, I do one or two more. When I do that, the pressure to get a decent one is off, and I generally get a better one. Previously, as soon as I got a decent one I'd stop. But now I keep going, knowing that even if I don't get a better one, I already have a presentable one ready to go.

And the other thing is...I just spend more time listening to jazz and blues, and listening to the way the riffs go. Really listening, not just enjoying. I have several Pandora channels with different jazz styles on them, and I listen every night before I go to sleep. This little instrument has really led me back into music in a way that I haven't been in a long long time. I like it.

Thanks for the good tips about recording multiple takes and listening to/studying riffs on recordings. The next time I work on something I think I'll try out your suggestion about recording those couple of extra takes.

I can relate to your last couple of sentences about the MO renewing your interest in performing/making music. I still have a lot farther to go, but it feels new and fun again. The ease of making digital recordings and laying down tracks is really helping, too. A big improvement over the long ago days of recording duets with two cassette tape players!